His success, in my mind, can be attributed to thorough pre-tournament preparation; an uncanny ability to read lies; a repetitive pre-swing routine; a very efficient and super-powerful golf swing; a unique ability to hit a variety of creative shots; a superb strategic brain; a very patient on-course attitude; incredible concentration; an extraordinary ability to stay cool when playing under extreme pressure; a desire to improve continuously; a putting stroke that holds up under pressure because it is so mechanically sound; a highly disciplined practice regiment and ongoing interaction with longtime coach Jack Grout.
The editor-in-chief sent me to ask Nicklaus his number-one swing secret. Having formally taught golf, I thought this was a foolish question, considering the complexity of the swing.
“There is no one secret,” answered Nicklaus.
What surprised me most, as I watched Nicklaus select a club, address each shot slowly and surely, hit on-target shots with woods and irons, and analyze the ball’s flight, was his intensity. Nicklaus’s all-business mindset really impressed me, especially considering that he was playing in a casual event, not warming up for a major championship.
Grout, unlike his fellow teachers, believed that a novice golfer should learn to swing hard initially, then acquire accuracy later. He was sure that a golfer who gets too accuracy-conscious at the outset will rarely be able to hit the ball hard later on.
A preswing routine also triggers a feeling of confidence and immediately puts you in a comfort zone. Last but not least, a preswing routine prepares the subconscious mind for the best possible repetition of your intended swinging action.
The setup routine, starting prior to address, encompasses several fundamental elements and is so vitally important that Nicklaus claims it represents 90% of good shot-making. In Golf My Way, he went so far as to say, “There are some good reasons for my being so methodical about my setup. I think it is the single most important maneuver in golf. It is the only aspect of the swing over which you have 100% conscious control.”
He programs himself to make a correct swing by running a “mental movie” of the ball flying along a specific line and on a specific trajectory.
One secret Nicklaus never mentioned is this: he sets the club down a couple of inches behind the ball, and I believe this little nuances helps promote that smooth, streamlined straight-back takeaway action he is so famous for.
Setting the club down a couple of inches behind the ball, instead of directly behind it, encourages Nicklaus to employ his classic low and slow takeaway action.
The second secret: contrary to what he has said over and over, in books and on video, he does not hold the club slightly above the grass. Rather, he rests it very gently on the grass. He does not press the bottom of the club into the grass, as amateurs do. Addressing the ball like Nicklaus will help alleviate tension in your hands and arms and allow you to make a good backswing action.
He checks that his interlocking grip pressure is light enough to keep his forearms relaxed and promote good feel for the clubhead.
He lets his arms hang freely from his shoulder sockets, as this helps the muscles relax. “Spaghetti arms” promote an uninhibited accelerated swinging action.
He flexes both knees enough to feel liveliness in his feet. “You want that feeling because the swing starts from the ground up.” The proper knee flex also allows you to establish good posture, as does bending slightly from the ball-and-socket joints of the hips — not the waist.
One advantage of the extra-wide stance is that it allows you to extend the club back low for a longer period of time, in the takeaway and at the halfway point of the swing. Therefore it helps you create the fullest possible swing arc, which was something else Grout believe in. The wider the swing arc, the more clubhead speed you generate, and the farther you will hit the ball.
A second advantage of the extra-wide stance is that it allows you to make a powerful swing while still keeping your weight on the inside of your right heel during the backswing and on the inside of your left heel during the downswing.
Tilt your chin away from the target, so your head is behind the ball.
Your posture at address is very important because it controls both the plane of your swing and your balance.
Whichever way you choose to go, either strictly by the book or allowing yourself some leeway, make sure to practice hard.
Before swinging, Nicklaus stands behind the ball and lets a movie storyboard of the perfect shot play on the big screen of his mind. This same mental imagery will encourage you to hit good shots.
Nicklaus lets his right forefinger hook under the club’s handle, so there’s a noticeable gap between the tip of the aforementioned finger and the right thumb. This unique hold will prevent your right hand from controlling the downswing — a cause of so many wayward shots.
He possesses a clear image of the backswing and downswing in his head, plus an ability to physically swing according to that mental plan.
The key to maintaining good balance is footwork — the correct rolling of the ankles to promote a solid back-and-through weight-shift action.
- Using a forward press action to trigger the swing.
- Taking the club away very slowly and gradually, in one piece, to build up speed until impact, when power is released fully.
- Striving for a full finish to promote acceleration through the ball.
Nicklaus realized early on his golf career that it is almost impossible to start the swing from a static setup position without jerking the club away and disrupting the tempo, timing, and rhythm of his swing. He figured out that for the address or starting position to flow smoothly into the backswing, he had to move the club slightly toward the target.
Even an experienced player like Nicklaus, who possesses the talent to feel an early error, can rarely correct it midstream and hit the shot as planned. Your reflexes can’t react quickly enough to redirect a faulty start.
Nicklaus chose none of these backswing triggers to model his takeaway after. Instead, he figured out that by synchronizing the movement of the left shoulder, left arm, clubshaft, left hip, and left knee away from the ball, he could promote a dependable backswing that would hold up under pressure and repeat itself again and again.
Nicklaus never wants his hands to do anything else but hold on to the club. He believes that golfers will play much better golf if they swing the club through the hands and not with them.
Daly told me that he actually drags the club back so low that the bottom of the club, or “sole,” grazes the grass for about the first 18 inches of the swing. He also told me that if he were to pick the club up quickly in the takeaway, he’d create a narrow arc of the swing and chop down on the ball in the impact zone.
Nicklaus’s left heel rises well off the ground, which is probably the reason he is still able to make such a full coiling action without putting strain on his back. Tiger is a much more flat-footed player, and that is the reason I believe he sometimes suffers from severe backache.
The other advantage of the upright plane is that it makes you a more effective player when hitting recovery shots from the rough. With the upright swing, less grass intervenes between the club and ball at impact, so you are able to impart more backspin to your shots.
Even the most accurate drivers on the PGA Tour hit only 75% of fairways, while the less accurate hit only about 55%.
The 2nd half of the swing operates virtually on automatic pilot. The downswing cannot possibly be consciously directed. There is time to concentrate on one and only one conscious trigger to spark what is essentially an all-out reflexive action.
The entire coordinated movement is very left-side oriented, as it should be if you want to swing well consistently. Letting the right side dominate this stage of the downswing will almost certainly destroy your goal swing or at least markedly diminish its effectiveness. Any attempt to hit at the ball with your right shoulder, arm, or hand will throw the club outside the plane.
The other reason for their failure is that they try to push or steer the clubhead through impact, rather than using the good turn they’ve made and freewheeling through the ball like Nicklaus. The result is a desperate loss of clubhead speed and poor point of contact. They not only lose distance, they fail to achieve good direction.
Nicklaus never experienced the problem of decelerating the clubhead in the impact zone because Grout encouraged him to hit the ball hard. John Daly thinks all golfers should be encouraged to “let the club rip.”
Knowing that the downswing happens in a flash, even Nicklaus has no time to think about releasing the club. Besides, the release of the club should happen naturally, not be consciously directed.
The trouble is, the average amateur tries to make this happen early in the downswing by rotating the right forearm over the left and using the right wrist and hand to flick the club into impact. Forget the release, since it happens after the hit, not before. More than that, it is a result or a response to other technically correct moves. It is not a move you should think about employing.
I will take a bet, too, that Tiger’s grip pressure is a lot lighter than Nicklaus’s, simply because players who prefer to hit a controlled fade grip more firmly with the left hand to prevent the clubface from closing through impact.
When you complete the finish, almost all of your weight should be transferred to the heel of your left foot. Only the toe of your right foot should be touching the ground. As a final check, be sure that your belly button points slightly left of target. This position proves that you cleared your left side fully and made a free and fluid swing.
The more he knew about a particular course — his true opponent — the better his chances of making the right offensive and defensive moves, minimizing mistakes, shooting low scores, and winning.
Other players who arrived just before the tournament often didn’t feel comfortable with the course until the 3rd round, when it was too late.
During practice rounds, Nicklaus walks the course, mapping out each hole. On his memo pad, he uses circled areas to designate the best areas to land a tee shot, darkened areas to designate dangerous hazards to the side of the fairways or green, and tiny Xs to represent the course’s subtle and treacherous slopes in the greens.
The fact is, confidence is built from hard work and determination, whereas cockiness is often a result of non-preparation and insecurity.
Nicklaus went to great lengths to be custom fitted, realizing that playing with the right clubs for you is part of the preparation process.
Shots you hit right of target and extra low signal a flex that’s too stiff. Balls that fly left of target and extra high indicate that the shaft is too flexible for your strength and swing speed.
Tall player usually require an upright-angle club, while short players need a flat-angle club. The chief consideration in choosing a club with the correct lie is how high or low you set your hands at address. Once a player sets up to the ball, the bottom of the clubhead must be virtually flush to the ground.
A player’s height has little to do with being fitted for length. The distance of the player’s hands from the ground is the most critical factor when being fitted.
Next to shaft flex, proper grip size is the most important feature of a golf club. If the grip is too thick, it prevents the player from feeling the clubhead and stops the player’s wrists from working fluidly. The tendency is to deliver the club into the ball late with the clubface wide open.
Grips that are too thin encourage loose hand action and ultimately cause the clubface to be closed at impact.
An extra-light club tends to cause a player to swing very fast and lose control of the club. A heavy club tends to cause the player to lose vital clubhead speed and deliver the club into the ball with the face open.
The way Nicklaus scopes out the course during practice rounds, noting in a pad what clubs he hit off certain tees and onto greens in certain conditions, as well as designating what greens are particularly slow or fast or what sand bunkers feature firm or soft sand, is very reminiscent of Hogan’s preparation process.
After a practice round, Nicklaus, like Hogan before him, returns to the practice range to work out any kinks in his swing. Hogan was actually the first player to start the post-round practice trend.
Nicklaus’s pre-round practice sessions, like Hogan’s, were all business, and included mental and physical rehearsals of the shots that were likely to be played on the course.
Like Hogan, he would use a different swing thought for a different shot. For example, in hitting a drive he might think, “Slow back,” to encourage a smooth takeaway, and when hitting a running chip, “Let the hands lead the clubhead into impact.”
The 3-wood drive:
Tee the ball up lower than normal, make a strong coiling action in the backswing, replant your left foot at the start of the downswing, and strive for a high finish to promote good arms-club acceleration through impact.
Uphill iron shot:
Play the ball closer to your highest foot. Setup perpendicular to the slope. Take one more club than normal.
Make a slightly shorter swing than normal and concentrate on swinging your arms rather than on making a huge body turn. Don’t worry about generating enough power to propel the ball to the green. Remember, you solved this problem by taking one more club.
Downhill iron shot:
Play the ball closer to your higher foot and set your body at a right angle to the slope. Keep adjusting yourself until you feel confident comfortable about your address.
Take one less club. Make a normal backswing, but when swinging down, “chase” the ball down the slope and keep your left knee flexed through impact to prevent a pull.
Deep rough recovery:
Take one less club to offset the flyer effect. Close the clubface too, to compensate for the club opening at impact due to the thick grass. Play the ball well back in your stance so you are set up to hit down into the ball as sharply as possible.
On the backswing, hinge the right wrist early so you promote a very steep plane.
On the downswing, lead the club down into the ball with your left hand and hit down hard with your right.
Great players such as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods thrive on the pressure situation that causes lesser golfers to falter, precisely because the mental side of their game has been that much stronger than their competitors.
- Prepare intelligently for a championship.
- Plan out a shot strategically.
- Pick the proper club.
- Picture the perfect shot.
- Play the highest-percentage shot.
- Persist for the entire round.
- Preserve strokes by not playing stupid shots.
- Play patiently.
- Put himself in front in a tournament and stay there.
You can create a sense of confidence by merely thinking positively, even when you are not on top of your game.
He once commented that he never missed a shot in his mind before he actually swung the club. He still plays this way mentally.
A good drive is not measured according to how far you hit the ball. The shot you hit off the tee, more than anything else, must be hit in a strategic area of the fairway that allows you to attack the hole on your approach shot.
Because of the machismo factor, they often hit far less club than is required and almost always attack the flag.
The game of golf is a lot like chess. The only difference being that your true opponent is not your fellow competitor but the course itself. Therefore, rather than having checkmate as your goal, you should concentrate on hitting fairways and greens and keeping double bogeys off your scorecard.
Should a sense of uncertainty creep into your head, be smart and widen your target to include the fat of the green, particularly when playing a long-iron shot into a firm green.
What separates Nicklaus from players such as Lee Trevino who talked a lot in between shots, is his all-business attitude on the course. When Nicklaus walks off the tee and down the fairway toward his ball, he already starts thinking hard about working out a strategy in his mind. What’s more, when he does shoot a high score on a hole, he leaves the green, then walks to the next tee unbothered, putting past performances behind him as if letting a door close.
Regarding club selection, Nicklaus uses the “15th club” — his brain — to figure out which “stick” will allow him to hit the ball in the best position. Moreover, he never lets his ego get in the way by trying to be Superman, stretching a club beyond its limitations by swinging fast.
Nicklaus has always been able to swallow his pride when hitting into trouble. Instead of gambling and compounding a problem, he is so mentally disciplined that he sensibly plays a shot back to the fairway.
The long time Nicklaus spends crouching over the ball ready to stroke is not to focus on mechanics but to wait for the right feeling that the putt is going in.
Realizing that a good start to a round lifts your confidence, he concentrates extra hard on the 1st tee.
I would take longer on the 1st tee than I would any other place on the golf course. I was gearing my brain. Taking a look at the fairway. Taking 3-4 practice swings. I thought harder about that 1st shot than any shot I played. It set the tone for the day.
Nicklaus pays as much attention to the sounds around him as he would a passing wind. His concentration is so intense that he divorces himself from everything around him, and concentrates on the only thing that matters: his golf game.
On “dog-leg” holes, Nicklaus tees the ball up lower to help promote a more upright swing and fade shot, and higher when playing a draw.
When playing an iron shot out of a fairway bunker, imagine the sand as grass. This preswing imagery will eliminate anxiety and body tension and increase your chances of picking the ball cleanly off the sand.
In hitting short uphill putts, he imagines a 2nd hole a few feet past the rat one to encourage a firm, confident stroke.
You must also be prepared to spend some quality time alone after the game, analyzing your round. That’s the only way you can pinpoint strategic error patterns and correct them.